Annie Alexandrian is a Feminist Studies and English double major and McNair Scholar.  Her project, "Birth Control Knowledge and Experience Among Low-Income Women," was completed with support from her advisor, Professor Laury Oaks.  The project draws upon surveys and open-ended interviews to examine the systemic issue of stratified U.S. health care.  In particular, the thesis focuses on the history of low-income women and women of color's experiences with health care and its impact on access to information on birth control.  

 

Noor Aljawad is a Feminist Studies and Middle Eastern Studies double major.  She collected oral histories for her thesis, "Narratives of Post-2003 Iraqi Refugees Relocated in Southern California," and was advised by Professor Janet Afary and received additional support from Professor Lalaie Ameeriar.  The thesis seeks to understand and contextualize refugee experiences of migration, resettlement, and assimilation in the U.S., while utilizing gender as a category of analysis and maintaining social justice as a cornerstone of feminist research.

 

Annalise Domenighini is a Feminist Studies and English double major.  She was advised by Professor Eileen Boris on her project, "The Rural Woman: From Dual Economy to the Flexible Dual Gender."  The thesis focuses on the late 19th century and the Great Depression to understand the history of the representation of farm women, and the shifts in the contemporary era. She examines country music and social media to connect the identity of rural women to agency and power.

 

Gloria Ruiz is a Feminist Studies major, and was advised by Professor Leila Rupp on her project, "Sexual Scripts Within Telenovelas."  Her thesis considers the representations of women in telenovelas and how they reinforce existing sexual scripts and ideas about women's sexuality, at the same time that they are central in Latino culture.  She conducted focus groups with Spanish-speaking Latina college students who watch telenovelas to find out about their awareness of these representations, whether they accept or reject these sexual scripts, and what role telenovelas play in their family life.